Disenfranchised Widowhood: The Journey of Dementia Caregivers

Abstract

The chapter will focus on findings from research aimed at studying the impact of caregiving for spouses living with cognitive impairment through the prism of the Two-Track Model of Dementia Grief. This model provides a bifocal approach addressing the nature of the emotional attachment to a loved one living with cognitive impairment, along with a medico-psychiatric perspective related to stress, trauma, and life transitions. In order to examine the research hypotheses, the study was designed to be cross-sectional and included 122 participants recruited among four groups: spouses of individuals currently living with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, spouses of individuals living with advanced-stage dementia, widows and widowers of deceased dementia sufferers, and a control group. Participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires. Following a presentation of the results on the bio-psycho-social consequences of the informal caregivers’ role and the ongoing emotional connection to the spouse living with dementia, the chapter will highlight various risk factors for maladaptive outcomes concerning the different stages of the disease. In addition, the chapter will discuss the research findings and their theoretical and empirical significance, as well as how these findings can be translated and contribute to clinical practice today.